The Pinckney Treaty: America Wins the Right to Travel the Mississippi River

In an effort to secure recognition of the U.S. borders from the great European powers, the U.S. minister to Britain, Thomas Pinckney, won two highly desirable concessions from Spain: recognition of the U.S. borders at the Mississippi and the 31st parallel, and the right of Americans to ship goods from New Orleans without paying fees or duties. This important treaty allowed early America to grow and expand. As more settlers arrived in the 1700s, America would need to accommodate them.